NATO-Ukraine relations

NATO believes that a sovereign, independent and stable Ukraine, firmly committed to democracy and the rule of law, is key to Euro-Atlantic security. NATO and Ukraine’s partnership dates back to 1997 and has, since then, developed into one of the most substantive of NATO’s partnerships. The formal basis for NATO-Ukraine relations is the 1997 Charter on a Distinctive Partnership, which established the NATO-Ukraine Commission (NUC), and the Declaration to Complement the Charter signed in 2009. Over time, NATO and Ukraine have reinforced political dialogue and practical cooperation through Ukraine’s Annual National Programme. In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, they have been intensifying this cooperation.

News

The refusal of the separatists in eastern Ukraine to respect the cease-fire threatens the Minsk agreement, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday (18 February 2015) following talks with Latvian President Bērziņš in Riga. The Secretary General is in Latvia to attend an informal meeting of European Union Defence Ministers.

The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the efforts by Chancellor Merkel and President Hollande to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis are ‘important and urgent’. Mr Stoltenberg opened the Munich Security Conference on Friday (6 February 2015) with a keynote speech together with German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen and Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger. The Secretary General said there was no contradiction between defence and dialogue: “A strong NATO is essential if we are to engage Russia with confidence. A constructive NATO-Russia relationship would benefit the Euro-Atlantic community. And the entire international order. But international rules must be respected – not rewritten. And certainly not violated.”

In talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin on Thursday (29 January 2015), Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO would continue its strong political and practical support for Ukraine. He also expressed concern about the recent escalation of violence in the country. “We are very much concerned about the situation and also by the continued support of Russia to the separatists,” the Secretary General said.